Archive for the 'Quotes' Category

Why do you write?

1 Comment »30th August, 2006; Category: General, Quotes, The Writer's Life

I recently came across this great quote:

“I write for the same reason I breathe –
because if I didn’t, I would die.”

~ Isaac Asimov

Why do I write?

I am a communicator. After 35 years of teaching young children I am convinced that this is the real me.
I am a storyteller. I love relating stories – usually jokes – to others.
I am a creative person. I love the process of taking a scene, a character or an idea and running with it to see what happens. My characters sometimes hijack my stories and the ending even surprises me!
I am an escapist. I prefer to live in a fantasy world. Reality is too harsh, too disappointing, too REAL. In the words of Ashleigh Brilliant: “I have abandoned my search for the truth and am now looking for a good fantasy.”
I am a visionary. I dream dreams. I can see the big picture. And sometimes these dreams and visions seep out of my being on to the page and I just have to share them with others. If the others think I’m a little unhinged, a little strange, a little whacky with a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock, so be it. I cling to the words of King Solomon who said: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)

Why do you write?

Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Related articles:

The Writer’s Life archive of articles on this blog.

Write a Book

No Comments »24th April, 2006; Category: General, Quotes

I am not usually in the habit of quoting politicians, but I can make an exception for this one. This quote comes, amazingly, from former US President Ronald Reagan. I say, amazingly, because said politician was not known for erudite statements. This must be one of his more comprehensible statements.

“Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.” Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)

Perhaps he had a ghost writer for this witticism.

Many writers will attest to the fact that there are few (monetary) rewards in being a writer. Perhaps one should disgrace oneself – then write a book about it.

Moral question: should one sell one’s soul – or do some disgraceful thing (which probably amounts to the same thing) for the purpose of getting material for a book? I think not.

Good Writing

No Comments »23rd April, 2006; Category: Quotes

Â “Vigorous writing is concise.”

William Strunk Jr in “The Elements of Style”, 1919.

Â Enough said.

Read any Good Books Lately?

No Comments »22nd April, 2006; Category: Authors, General, Quotes

I am a great fan of author Ashleigh Brilliant – yes, that’s his real name. He has made a career out of writing and publishing one-liners, which he has called “Brilliant Thoughts” or “Pot-Shots.” He wrote the wonderful sentence: “Appreciate me now and avoid the rush.” This also the title of one of his books.
His books can be hard to get in Australia and I keep on checking in all the bookshops for his works. In desperation I even managed to buy two through bookshops selling on E-Bay. Dangerous place, E-Bay, if you’re a bookaholic. Or any kind of collecting maniac.

I’m Not Perfect
The one I am reading at present… actually, you don’t “read” Brilliant’s brilliant writing – you dip into it all over the place. Trying to read his works cover to cover misses the point. Dip into them, taste a page or two, read three or four pages then leave it. Come back to it often and it will catch you by surprise every time. He has a funny way of tapping into some human foible and seeing the funny side of life. Back to what I was saying, his book I am reading at present is called: “I May Not Be Perfect, but parts of Me are Excellent.”

Book Recommendation

All this has been a roundabout way of asking if you’ve read any good books lately. This question came from a quote from the above book.

“I’ll never see all the places, or read all the books, but fortunately, they’re not all recommended.”

One book I have read recently that was totally absorbing and brilliantly written, not to mention inspiring, was Lance Armstrong’s autobiography “It’s Not about the Bike.” This book documents the early part of his life, his struggles to become established in the cycling world and his devastation at discovering he had testicular cancer. He was so close to death and given no hope of recovery, let alone survival.

He graphically describes his fears, the pain, the struggles and the horrors of his treatment. That he lived to tell the tale is amazing. To then go on and win the Tour de France seven consecutive times shows the grit and determination of the man. From this book I learned a great deal about commitment, perseverance and the importance of having a never give up attitude.

My Own Journey of Discovery

Lance Armstrong’s life, as portrayed in this book, is a journey of discovery. He discovered deep within himself a fierce determination to survive against all odds. We all go through seasons of despair, illness, trials or horrible tragedies. I am coming out of a long period of depression and two factors have helped my recovery. Reading this book came immediately after I had successfully achieved a very demanding trek in the Himalayas just this last January. For me it was a great journey of discovery; I was able to physically and mentally push myself way, way beyond what I thought I was capable of achieving.

I encourage you to read of my adventures in my travel blog by going to Trevor’s Travels here.

And what about you? Have you read any good books lately? Share your thoughts with my readers by leaving a comment.

How to Write a Novel

No Comments »20th April, 2006; Category: Authors, General, Quotes, The Writer's Life

I have read quite a number of interesting books and magazine articles about writing. Some of them have dealt with writing for children, some have dealt with writing short stories and articles and others are about writing novels.

There is a growing flood of articles on the Internet about how to write. I just did a quick Google search. I typed in “How to write a novel”. The result was staggering. Over 76 million references!There is no shortage of writers wanting to write about how to write. Or sell you software to do it. One even promised that it was “the ultimate bookwriting tool. Start writing your bestseller today.”

The Truth about Publishing

Many people want to write a novel or a book one day.
Very few even start.
Of those that start, very few ever finish.
Of those that finish, very few actually send the manuscript to a publisher
And of those that send their manuscript to a publisher, less than one percent ever get to see their work in print.
Of those that do get their writing published only a handful ever become bestsellers.

Many of these books and articles list methods or rules for successful writing. Follow these and you, too, will be successful, they claim. The authors of these how to books and articles ignore the three rules of Somerset Maugham:

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

Postscript:

Yes – I’ve always wanted to write a book.
Yes – I have finished twelve books.
Yes – I have sent them to publishers.
Yes – I have had six books published (plus many poems and stories)
Yes – it is possible – but very hard work, lots of persistence and a never give up attitude.